Corset-holder.



S. E. SMITH.

CORSET HGLUER.

APPuMloN FILED Nov. 1. Isar.

RENEWED 1ULVl9. i918.

Patented Oct. l5, 1918` Snom/woz UNITE@ STATES FA'IET FFIQE.

SARAH E. SMITH, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO RICHARD A. SMITH, 0F NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

CORSET-HOLDER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patenten oet. is, isis.

Application filed November 7, 1917, Serial No. 200,811. Renewed July 19, 1918. Serial No. 245,769.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, SARAH E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State 0f Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Corset-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to holding devices for corsets to facilitate the lacing thereof.

The lacing of corsets in the usual manner :requires time and patience upon the part of the sales person or corsetiere, as the corset can not be easily handled when passing the lace through the eyelets, and as the end stays must, at different parts throughout the length thereof, be arranged toward or away from each other to properly lit the figure for which the corset is designed, the ordinary lacing of corsets is, to a great eX- tent, a matter of guess work, and accurate adjustments must be made after the lace has been passed through the eyelets and the corset again arranged upon the gure. In handling a great number of corsets in the course of a days work, in the ordinary manner, especially when time is an important item, the sales person or corsetire is subjected to a great amount of physical strain and work and it may be considered the primary obj ect of the present invention, to produce a means whereby a corset may be easily, quickly and effectively gripped so that the ends thereof may be arranged in any desired but proper spaced relation to each other to facilitate the threading of the lace through the eyelets and to permit of the expeditious lacing of the corset in an easy but thoroughly effective manner.

In Vcarrying out my invention, it is my purpose to produce a holding device for corsets comprisin a plurality of associated elements, each adjustable with respect tothe other and including spring clips to engage with the edges of a corset, so that corsets of varying lengths, styles, weights, or sizes may be easily and quickly positioned thereon and properly adjusted to bring the stays having the eyelets therein in a convenient position to receive the lacing.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a device of this character which may comprising few simple parts adjustable with be easily and quickly positioned andl retained upon a counter or other support,

respect to each other, which shall be ornamental in appearance, and which shall per form the functions for which it is devised with ease and accuracy.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a holding device for corsets to facilitate the lacing thereof, which shall be of a collapsible nature, the elements comprisi'ng the same being both adjustable and removable whereby the device when not in use, may be folded to a small compact package which will occupy only a small space in the grip of a salesman and likewise, only a small space in storage or transportation.

Other objects and advantages will presentthemselves as the nature of the invention is more fully understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improvement, the corset being indicated by the dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

' Fig. L1 is a detail fragmentary perspective view.

In Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, my improved corset holder is att-ached to and supported on a table or counter which is indicated by the numeral 5.

My improved holder is preferably constructed of flat metal, the sheets or plates comprising the same being suitably stamped or bent upon themselves to provide the elements constituting the improvement.

Broadly speaking, the improvement constitutes a base 6, and end members 7. The base, as clearly illustrated by the drawings, comprises two sections, indicated for distinction by the numerals S and 9. Each of the sections has its outer end rounded upon itself to provide hooks 10, and these hooks are designedl to contact with the opposite edges of the top member of the counter 5. Each of the sections, inward of the hook 10, is provided with lateral members which are bent downwardly forming feet or supports 11 that are designed to rest upon the top of the counter, as clearly illustrated by the drawings. The section 8 is wider than the section 9 and has its said widened portion bent or otherwise shaped to provide depending spaced sides 12 and inturned bottoni portions 13. It will thus be noted that the section 8 for the major port-ion of its length,

comprises a hollow member and is designed to receive the section 9 whereby the base 6 of the improvement comprises two longitudinally adjustable or telescopic members. 1f desired, and as illustrated by the drawings, the section 9 may have its edges bent to provide side flanges 14 which are extended inwardly to -form the base flanges 15, the base or bottom portions 13 and 15 of the respective sections 8 and 9 being suitably spaced away from each other as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The section 9, at a suitable distance from the inner end thereof, is provided with an elongated centrally arranged longitudinally extending slot 16, the section 8 having its upper plate provided with an opening alining with the slot and through the slot and opening passes the shank 17 of a headed member 18. The shank 17 is threaded and is engaged by a wing nut 19. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that the head 18 is of a size to be received between the confronting edges of the base or bottom member 13 of the section 8, and to contact with the under face of the base or bottom 15 of the section 9, the shank 17 passing between the confronting edges of the base portion of the section 9. By this means, it will be noted that upon the adjustment of the nutY 19, the contact of the head with the base of the section 9 serves to compress the saidsection at the center thereof, thus expanding the section at the sides thereof, which expansion causes a frictional engagement between the said sides of the section 9 with the sides of the section 8, so that the sections 8 and 9 may be thus retained in effective adjustment, and also whereby the hook ends (of the sections may be held in positive engagement with the edges of the counter 5. The head 18 of the binding means rests directly on the top of the table, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, so that this element, in addition to the foot members 11 provides supports for the improvement.

The ends 7 are in the nature of flat rectangular frames, the upper and lower edges being rolled or rounded upon themselves to add to the strength and rigidity of the said ends. The lower rounded edges rest directly on the counter 5, providing supports for the said ends in addition to other supports which will hereinafter be described. The ends 7 adjacent the upper rolled ledges thereof, are provided with elongated slots and upon the inner faces of the said ends oppositethe said slots 2O are arranged the spring clips 21. Each of these clips is preferably formed from a single piece of spring metal comprising a substantially U-shaped body,

the sides of which being flared outwardlyl away from each other, and the connecting vmember for the said sides being provided with an opening through which passes the shank of a headed member 22, the threaded end of the shank being engaged by a binding element in the nature of a thumb nut 23. By adjusting the thumb nut, the clips 21 may be moved longitudinally of the ends 7, and by the pivotal connection of the clips with the member 22, the said clips may be turned upon the said member so that their engaging jaws may be brought at any desired angle with respect to the ends or to the base of the device. The arms 24 of the clips 21, at the outer ends thereof, are rounded inwardly providing the jaws 25, the said jaws contacting and the tension be` tween the jaws, or the force of contact of the said jaws with each other may be regulated through the medium of a thumb nut 26, that engages with the threaded end of a bolt 27, the said bolt passing through both of the sides 24 of the clip. The construction of the clips, the pivotal arrangement of the same in connection with the ends of the device and the means whereby the said clips on either of the ends may be adjusted toward or away from each other, produce an important feature of the invention. The longitudinal adjustment of the clips at either of the ends permit of the corset having its end stays arranged in proper spaced relation to each other to receive through the eyelets thereof, the connecting lace. rllhe clips, by being turned upon their pivots will arrange the said end stays at anyl desired angle, so that the said end stays,.may, if desired, be arranged vertically with respect to the holding device which greatly facilitates the insertion of the lace through the eyelets, and the longitudinal adjustment of the base members permits of corsets of various lengths, shapes and sizes being properly arranged in a position thereon to be easily and quickly laced.

The lower member of each of the frames comprising the ends 7 is centrally formed with an extension which is bent at an outward angle from the said frames, and the edges of these extensions are bent to provide sides 28, and a base or bottom 29. The lower members are provided with openings in a line with the sockets 30 provided by the referred to extension together with its sides 28 and its bottom 29, and through these openings `and sockets the respective sections 8 and 9 of the base 6 are passed. The sections 8 and 9 are provided with elongated longitudinally extending slots 31 respectively, and the socket 30, upon its upper face is provided with an opening alining with the said slots. Passing through the `bottom of the socket 30, the slots 31 and the referred to opening` in the upper face of the socket, is the shank of a headed element 32, the said shank being threaded and being engaged by a wing nut 33. The head of the element 32 rests upon the counter 5, and provides, in addition to the elements heretofore referred to supporting means for the device and especially for the end frames of the device, the adjustment of the wing nuts 33 permits of the end frames being moved and retained at a desired position upon the base 6.

From .the foregoin description when taken in connection wiiili the drawings, it is thought the simplicity and advantages of the construction will be apparent and appreciated by those skilled in the art to which such invention appertain, it being under stood, from the said description, that the elements comprising the improvement while telescopic or adjustable are likewise separatable so that the holder, when not in use, may be collapsed or packed to provide a small bundle.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

l. In a corset holder, a base comprising a plurality of telescopic sections, means for retaining the sections adjusted, end members on said base, and spring clips on said ends.

' 2. A corset holder including a base comprising a plurality of telescopic sections having their outer ends hooked, means for retaining the sections adjusted, end frames onthe base, and longitudinally movable pivoted clips on the said end frames.

3. In a corset holder, a base comprising a plurality of telescopic sections having their outer ends hooked, binding means between the sections, end frames longitudinally adj ustable on the base, and pivoted clips on the end frames and longitudinally adjustable with respect to the said end frames.

4. In a corset holder, a basecomprising two flat members, one telescoped in the other,

binding means between the members, hooks on the outer ends of the members,` feet inward of the hooks, end frames for the base, socket members on the end frames to receive the sections of the base, binding means between said sockets and said base, and longitudinally movable pivoted clips carried by the end frames.

5. In a corset holder, a base comprising two plates having their outer ends rounded to-provide hooks, a foot member upon each of the plates inward of the hooks, said plates being shaped to provide side flanges and a base, and one of the said members being telescopically received in the other member, one of said members having an elongated slot, a headed threaded element having its shank passing through the slot and through both of the members of the base, and the head of the said element adapted to contact with the bottom of the inner member, a binding nut engaging the shank of the said element, end frames having their upper and lower edges rounded, said frames having their lower portions provided with outwardly extending sockets receiving the respective members of the base, a headed element having a threaded shank passing through the socket and through the members of the base, a binding element for said threaded element, said frames having elongated slots adjacent the upper edges thereof, U shaped clips having ivoted members passing'through the slots, binding elements for the threaded elements, said clips having their outer ends provided with inwardly rounded jaws and adjusting means betweenthe sides of the clips Jfor regulating the contact of the jaws.

In testimony whereof I aliX my signature.

sARAH E. sMrrH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

